It was time for the picnic, and all arrangements had been made. Albina had arranged the blankets in the wide section of lawn between the apple trees and the rose bed, which was large enough for all of them and the dogs, and had set out the hamper.
Joseph arrived first, followed by Harper. Temperance was the last to arrive, and she took in the scene of the three of them sitting on the grass, chatting away.
“Everyone seems to be in a great mood this afternoon,” she acknowledged before sitting down. “Did I miss something?”
“You are late,” Joseph said.
“I am exactly on time,” Temperance said, sitting down on the blanket across from them, “You were all early.”
“No, you, being early is being on time,” Joseph said. “Being on time is being late.”
“That is your father’s philosophy and it is a very exhausting one,” Temperance said, and looked at Harper, who was looking at her with the expression he had been wearing since the library two nights ago. She looked away from him, reaching for the hamper.
“Can I help with that?” Harper said.
“I have it,” she said quickly.
“Now that we are all here,” Albina said, setting down her cup and looking around the blanket with satisfaction, “I think this is an excellent time to get to know each other properly. Like a family.”
There she was using that word again. Temperance looked at Harper nervously, as though she was worried that he might not take well to the comment. But he showed no reaction.
“I have a question for each of you. Joseph, I will start with you,” Albina went on.
Joseph set down his sandwich and gave her his full attention.
“What do you want to do when you grow up?”
Joseph thought about it seriously for a moment.
“I want to manage an estate,” he said. “Like my father.”
“That is what you think you should want,” Albina said, “I asked what you actually want. You know, often there is a difference in what we want and what we think society wants from us.”
It was not lost on Temperance that her mother was glancing at her as she said the words, probably trying to make a point. Temperance ignored this for the moment.
Joseph glanced at his father, briefly, then back at Albina. Something in his face changed.
“I want to ride across the whole of England,” he said. “And stop wherever looked interesting.”
“Oh, you want to be a traveler?” Albina encouraged. “I think that is a great answer. You learn a lot about the world from travelling in it.”
“You still have a few years before you get to do that,” Harper stepped in. “In the meanwhile, you shall focus on your education which will get you far in life.”
“Oh, must you ruin the fun like that?” Albina said, giggling. “We don’t need to remind him of the practicalities, this is merely a question I posed.”
“Only a fool forgets the practicalities, and I’m not raising my son to be one,” Harper said simply.
“I think it’s equally bad to be a bore with only regard for practicalities,” Albina said. “We only get this one life.”
“Yes, I am well aware of your outlook on life,” Harper said, frowning. “And you seem to have rubbed off on my son as well.”
Albina laughed.
“I consider that a victory, but why don’t you answer the question next, Your Grace?” Albina said. “We would all love to know what you wanted to be growing up. Surely, it was not limited only to being a duke.”
Harper seemed to think hard about the answer, and then crossed his arms out in front of him.
“I suppose it barely matters anymore.”
